Black Rice Salad with Roasted New Potatoes and Capers

Black rice serves as a floral and nutty canvas to sweet, creamy, roasted new potatoes, tangy capers, and fresh micro greens. Every bite is chewy, creamy, and fresh, an explosion of amazing flavors, a simile to spring. The addition of capers and a tangy Dijon Mustard dressing keeps things sour and enlivened, balancing the hearty combination of potatoes and rice.
By Mariela Alvarez Toro

This salad is special.

Black rice serves as a floral and nutty canvas to sweet, creamy, roasted new potatoes, tangy capers, and fresh micro greens. Every bite is chewy, creamy, and fresh, an explosion of amazing flavors, a simile to spring. The addition of capers and a tangy Dijon Mustard dressing keeps things sour and enlivened, balancing the hearty combination of potatoes and rice.

I made this rice dish alongside maple roasted carrots, a green salad, and chicken for our semi-traditional Sunday dinner when we let Luca (our dog) play with Larry (my sister in-law’s dog) for several hours while we catch up with where work and life over food and wine. While these dinners are not at all fancy, I like to dress everything up a bit, just so that it feels special and important, a celebration of a weeks end, and new beginnings. This rice salad fit in just perfectly!

Black rice serves as a floral and nutty canvas to sweet, creamy, roasted new potatoes, tangy capers, and fresh micro greens. Every bite is chewy, creamy, and fresh, an explosion of amazing flavors, a simile to spring. The addition of capers and a tangy Dijon Mustard dressing keeps things sour and enlivened, balancing the hearty combination of potatoes and rice.

Author: Mariela Alvarez Toro

Recipe Type: Side

Ingredients

Tangy Dijon Dressing

2 tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Black Rice Salad with Potatoes and Capers

1 cup wild rice, soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours

generous drizzle of olive oil

salt

½ pound new or fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced into quarters

1 handful chopped fresh cilantro

About 2 cups micro greens, or baby greens of choice

2 tbsp. capers

Tangy Dijon dressing

Instructions

Tangy Dijon Dressing

Mix ingredients together and set aside.

Black Rice Salad with Potatoes and Capers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place quartered baby potatoes in baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Toss until potatoes are well coated. Place in oven and roast for 30-35 minutes. When ready potatoes should be golden and soft throughout. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Start cooking rice as soon as potatoes go in the oven.

For improved digestion, and quicker cook time, soak rice for at least 8 hours before cooking. When ready to cook, drain and rinse rice thoroughly. Place in a pot with 2 cups of water and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature to medium and simmer until most of the water has been absorbed. Reduce temperature to low, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Rice will be ready when chewy with a bite. Remove from heat and let cool for five to ten minutes.

To assemble salad, place warm rice, potatoes, capers, and dressing in a large bowl. Toss until everything is evenly coated. Add micro greens and cilantro. Toss again and serve immediately.

This salad can be made up to a day ahead, just make sure to add the micro greens and cilantro when ready to serve to preserve freshness and color.

Recently graduated with from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. She has recently completed "People in Food-Space", an ethnographic study on the cultural production of taste in space. She has also examined post-soviet food production systems and housing projects in Havana, Cuba. Originally from Puerto Rico, Mariela has been living in the United States for eight years. She has involved herself in both teaching and practice, while writing on food at tastyplan.com. Her goal as a food writer is to cook creatively, using the best ingredients to find new flavor combinations every day.